Amplifying community voices, learning from neighborhood stories, and interrupting narratives of erasure in Seattle's Central District.
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Learning from Tyree Scott

Photo by Jill Freidberg

Photo by Jill Freidberg

KL Shannon

I was an up and coming organizer. And I was doing an internship at American Friends Service Committee, at the national office, in Philadelphia. There was an organizer there by the name of Michael Simmons. He said, "If you're if you're an upcoming organizer, you need to know Tyree Scott." So he made me promise that when I got back to Seattle, to hook up with Tyree Scott, and I said "Okay I'll do that." And he was just you know an amazing human being. I mean I learned so much from him, and you know he always talked about the importance of struggle. And how he said, "We don't like to struggle with each other, and it's important that we do," he said "because struggling helps you get better." Tyree was a health nut.  And I wasn't. You know I like fries, so whenever I would get in trouble, Tyree would. take me out to the most healthiest place. You know Tyree wasn't the type to chastise you. He would tell you a story. You know, why you did what you did was wrong, right? He loved people. He loved, I mean, he loved people so much. And he was just a visionary. I'm just so grateful that that I crossed paths with him. Sometimes things be like difficult and hard and I think about what would Tyree do, what would Tyree say.